This was a post I'd been thinking about penning for a while, and then World Book Day popped up and I thought 'great timing', only to not find five minutes to myself, and well, a week later, here we are. I don't actually read too many popular science books, but some really grab me and demand repeated readings, even if they are subjects with which I am well familiar. Most or all of these are pretty well known, but these are my favourites and I thought I'd share. Since I also get asked about recommendations of dinosaur books, there're a couple of them at the bottom too. So, in no particular order:

Bill Bryson: A short history of nearly everythingQuite simply the best science book I've ever read. Funny, engaging, memorable and detailed, it combines the history of the sciences and how they evolved and progressed mixed in with the actual hard-won knowledge. It's a mammoth piece, but one I'm capable of picking up again and again and it's something that should be compulsory for those wanting to take science G.C.S.Es or A-levels.

Carl Zimmer: EvolutionPerhaps the best general introduction to evolutionary biology I have read. If you have never read a word on biology or evolution this will take you pretty much from beginner to near-expert over the course of a few hundred pages. Great prose and an engrossing read.

David Quammen: Song of the dodoIsland biogeography really is a wonderful area of science, combining geography, evolution, ecology and palaeontology. This book deftly weaves together these strands of science into a compelling whole and shows how the various areas interlink. I'm also deep into Quammen's "Monster of God" on man-eating animals at the moment and enjoying it thoroughly.

Armand Marie Leroi: MutantsI'd always struggled with developmental biology, but this book brought it sharply into focus. It made the subject both interesting and easily understood and brilliantly shows the interplay between development, evolution and medicine and our understanding of the human system.

Richard Fortey: Dry store room no. 1This is essentially a biography of a museum (well, nearly an autobiography given Fortey's decades there) and as such is unique to my knowledge. The Natural History Museum in London is one of the great museums of the world and a centre for biological research. However, the machinations and importance of museums (beyond the public displays) is rarely understood or appreciated outside academia and this brings the building to life and explains the work of those who have occupied its hallowed halls.

Simon Singh: Fermat's last theoremA not-biology book. I must admit to having always struggled with statistics and equations of any kind. However, this book led me through the higher reaches of mathematics and thought in a way I didn't think possible, while keeping me thoroughly entertained and intrigued.

And so to the dinosaurs

Tom Holtz Jnr: DinosaursThis book is there to be the encyclopedia you always wanted on dinosaurs, but never got. Packed with details and with excellent 'bonus' contributions from a raft of other palaeontologists, this really is the book to get if you want an introduction to dinosaurs and their biology. Its only drawback is the lack of photos of actual specimens, but the huge amount of great art more than makes up for it.

Darren Naish: The great dinosaur discoveriesAs the title suggests, this book is more about key fossils finds and using them to chart the implications of dinosaur research and advances in dinosaur science. This therefore covers the history of the subject and shows how things have changed with new finds and new understanding.

Deborah Cadbury: The dinosaur huntersThe birth of palaeontology, great rivalries, Richard Owen, Mary Anning (of 'she sells seashells' fame), scientific skullduggery and the recognition of that great group Dinosauria. This is a wonderfully written and well-researched book and lifts the veil on the dawning of a new science and competitiveness of the Victoria era of biology.

Various: The complete dinosaurIf you have already reached dinosaur saturation from the above or trips to museums, this is the book to take you to the next level and bridge the gap between enthusiast and someone who can engage with the scientific literature. Dozens of palaeontologists have contributed to it and the chapters are broken down into broad research themes, rather than going through group-by-group. Mostly very accessible and up-to-date (with a couple of dodgy sections admittedly) this really is a must for those who want to get into the science and beyond the usual introductory volumes.

Full disclosure: many of these are friends and colleagues (and I'm part responsible for one of the chapters in the 'Complete Dinosaur'), but these are honest opinions about these works, and in a number of cases, formed before I knew them.